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Bloomberg
Stocks were mixed on Tuesday and the price of gold rose as investors monitored geopolitical risks — from North Korea’s rumblings over the US to major powers’ plan to put pressure on Russia over the Syrian war.
Germany’s DAX edged 0.1 percent lower to 12,194 and the CAC 40 of France was 0.2 percent higher at 5,116. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.6 percent to 7,383. Wall Street looked set for a slow start, with S&P 500 and Dow futures flat. North Korea said there could be “catastrophic consequences†after the US ordered the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its battle group to waters off the Korean Peninsula. Nerves were already on edge with US-South Korea war games underway, following recent ballistic missile launches by the North that have rattled neighboring countries. The G-7 powers, meanwhile, want to put more pressure on Russia to stop backing the Syrian government, which they blame for a deadly chemical attack last week. Britain is open to more sanctions but some others from the group, which also includes the US, Japan and major European economies, want a softer approach.
The precious metal, which is often sought out by investors as a safe haven in times of global uncertainty, was up 0.4 percent at $1,259 an ounce. That pushed up shares in major mining companies: Fresnillo was up 2.4 percent and Randgold Resources 2.3 percent higher in London.